Haru's Misguided Meeting
by Youko's Befuddled Fox
Summary: Haru Meets a strange girl on his way to Shigure's house for dinner.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I goofed while trying to fix my chapters and erased the story so here it is again yes I'm a bad little kitsune and need to be punished so bye bye!

Haru looked around him and decided that he was no where near Shigure's house and it was close to noon. He was indeed glad that he said he would have dinner instead of lunch. Kyo would blow a gasket if he had to wait for Haru to get to Shi-san's house for any meal.

Haru was somewhere in the down town area, and a busy area at that. People with suits on rushing around with briefcases in hand, some talking into cell-phones, others talking to each other with purpose and hands gesturing frantically. People really were funny creatures he thought with a smile and an abbreviated snort covering his laughs.

About this time a foreign looking girl with jewel red hair, emerald green eyes, about as tall as Tohru, fair skin with a sprinkling of freckles, and piled high with packages bumped into him. This landed her on her rump with an 'oomph' and the numerous thumps of her packages.

Looking down and offering her a hand, Haru takes notice of her clothes. She was wearing a black shirt with pink lettering that said, "I'm Here Because It Annoys You," lightly colored blue jeans, and blue flip-flops.

"I'm so sorry. I really wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The girl said this taking Haru's pre-offered hand with her left, and dusting herself off with her right.

Amusement shining in his eyes Haru said candidly, "No, you were the one to land on her butt it's I that needs to say I'm sorry," Pulling her up, her offers, "I'm Hatsaharu, but please call me Haru." Smiling he let go of her hand.

"I'm Marie," She says, offering her right hand with enthusiasm and a smile. "By any chance could you help me find my way?" She asks still smiling winningly.

Looking slightly bemused Haru says "That's my problem I don't have any sense of direction and I'm lost as well, what are you trying to find?" Haru asks this with slight interest.

"Well, you see. I'm here to surprise my pen-pal. She's this really nice girl named Tohru. I thought since we've been at this since before her mom died it might be nice to commiserate and share our sob stories in person. Come to think of it you remind me of one of her newer friends from the Sohma family." Marie looks him up and down, and brings her hand up to her forehead. Shaking her head with her hand covering her eyes, she says softly. "I should have guessed polite, white and black hair, and grey eyes. Your Hatsaharu Sohma related to Yuki and Kyo."

Smiling sardonically Haru says, "I bet Tohru keeps a list somewhere of all her friends and what day she met them."

Marie looking up and laughs at him, "I'm sure she does from what she writes me she would need to." She says with affection and amusement shining in her eyes. "So, what beings you out on this fine afternoon, and has you lost with the likes of a tourist?"Marie laughingly asks.

Haru watches a transformation take place in Marie from shy to familiarity and confidence, He shrugs and smiles. "I'm supposed to have dinner at Shigure-san's so I stared out early." Haru states matter-of-factly.

"Ah, I see, so this was a pre-emptive strike to get to Shigure-san's house on time to make sure that Kyo doesn't get too huffy!" She sagely said picking up the packages she had been carrying prior to bumping into Haru.

Curiously Haru asks, "What's with the packages," looking around and getting and thoughtful expression on his face. "Now that I think of it where's your lounge and how long are you going to be staying?"

Looking down and scuffing at the ground, "Well, the packages are presents for everyone, my lounge is the black thing with the elongating handle, and wheels, and I only had enough money for a one way flight." In the process of saying all of this, her voice got progressively softer until Haru could just barely hear Marie, his eyebrows just about reached his hair line, and with that last statement Haru's jaw met his knee's and feet.

Getting over the telling of her "dirty little secret" pretty quickly Marie looks over at Haru with determination shining in her eyes, and asks. "Do you know Hatori-san's phone number and do you have money for a pay phone?" Marie asks smugly, with a little smirk coming through.

Haru takes inventory of what he has on his person, and yea he does have his emergency payphone change. "You know, I should be greatly insulted by your insinuation that I wouldn't know Hatori's phone number!" He states this with feinted haughty reproach, and smiles when he gets laughter for his trouble.

Haru reaches down and takes a couple of the packages from the ground, and starts walking to the nearest payphone to call Hatori for a ride to Shigure-san's .

Haru with Marie trailing behind found the object of their search on a street corner, which makes it easy to give Hatori the street they're on. Putting the money into the payphone Haru Dialed Hatori's number, and listened to the phone ring three times before Hatori picked up his end.

"Hello. Hatori Sohma speaking how can I help you?" All of this was said with absolutely no inflection at all. This made Haru snicker quietly, but loud enough for Hatori to hear him."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter: Two

"I hear you snickering Hatsaharu, what is it you need?" Hatori asked exasperated, he was fairly sure he knew what it was that troubled the young ox.

"I've come to be irrevocably lost and have come to be in the company of a friend of Tohru-san's, whom Tohru-san doesn't know is here." He says all of this in his customary calm style Haru takes the time to again snicker at his older cousin, though this time simply in his mind.

Struck speechless by Haru's announcement Hatori regained his thoughts. "Which state of here are you referring to, and are you saying you need, and would like for me to come pick you and this mystery person up?"

Haru stared at the phone for a second with the blank expression, he's so good at and says, "As in Tohru doesn't know she's in the country and yes, I would like for you to come and save us, please, oh great cousin of mine." Haru gets a rather mockingly smart look about him and then just slumps with as overload of witty remarks to throw at his cousin.

Marie decides it would probably be good to take over at this moment and takes the phone from Haru once he went into his slumped position.

"Haru-san just slumped with his head down, so I took the phone from him. So would it be a problem for you to take us from this place because businessmen can smell fear!" Marie was looking around at the people in suits, since they looked like they had just smelled fresh blood hitting the water.

Hatori looked at his phone in amazement. He hadn't known it was possible for there to be two people like Haru in the same place at the same time. "No, I don't have anything else to do." Hatori sighed out loud.

"Really! Then by any chance could you take us to Shigure-san's?" She asked with excitement lighting her voice.

Hatori sighs with the exhaustion Shigure and Ayame cause in him, But still answers, "Yes, I'll take you both to my annoying cousin's house."

Marie sniggered, she had gotten the impression Shigure-san and Ayame-san had a not so positive effect on Hatori from the hinting in Tohru's letters. After telling Hatori exactly where she and Haru were then giving a sickening sweet. "Okay, see you when you get here and thank you, bye-bye."

Glancing at Haru from the corners of her eyes Marie, skipped over to Haru. "You get over stimulated." she stated knowingly then proceeded to gather her parcels and place them just how she wanted them.

Haru just blinked at her with indifference, and waked over to a bench to wait for Hatori. Marie followed sniggering at his inaction.

Hatori did not leave them to wait too long as he got there within fifteen minutes Though in truth he didn't want to leave them to their own devices for too long fearing for the safety of the general public.

They piled the luggage in to the trunk and stumbled into the back seat not without a few bumps and "pardon me"s.

The drive to Shigure's was pleasant and quiet with the two most silent members of the Sohma family with her for the drive. The AC was cranked up for the seasonal heat. The occupants of the vehicle were pumping themselves for the chaos that is Tohru Honda's new life with the dog, rat, and cat.

Now Marie was not looking forward to getting yelled at by Kyo for waltzing in unexpected, and she psyching herself out just thinking about it. Just about the time that Marie would have jumped out of the car, and ran her little rump back to the air port seeking charity for a plane ticket back home, Haru put a "calming" hand on her shoulder which made her jump half way out of her skin this of course causing Haru to about inhale a bug who was fly by laughing at her reaction.

"You know I think that Tohru-san will be happy to see you in person. Did you ever send her a picture of yourself?"Haru asked being astute in seeing Marie was about to do something rash, plus she was ringing her hands in agitation and apperception.

Haru's assurance earned him a brilliant smile while she thought back on whether she had sent Tohru a picture. "Hm, I think we did exchange pictures over the holidays as well as presents. I sent her money because I knew she would need it with all the things she was liable to get you guys. I also put a card with it saying I would be very angry if she sent it back ." she says the last with a smirk and shared a knowing smile with the occupants of the car.

The drive ended with Hatori pulling up to the driveway, and the three getting out and listening to the ominous sounds of the interesting household inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Marie cowered behind the two Sohma Cousins as the ox and dragon walked calmly up to the front door of Shigure's two story house. Hatori rang the door bell to be noticed over the yelling of a certain loudmouthed cat.

They were a bit surprised when Shigure himself came to the door to usher them in with a smart remark directed to Hatori. "You just couldn't stay away from my sweet flower's cooking could you Haa-San?" The dog irritatingly goaded the dragon with a suggestive little leer while taking in who all had come with his dear cousin.

Haru decided to be an instigator and stepped a side to expose Marie to the dog's scrutiny. Marie's eyes became the size of saucers and a little "eep!" escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here, Would this be a friend of your's Haru-kun?" Shigure leered at Haru turning on the charm for Marie's sake.

Haru and Marie looked at each other with a bit of surprise. In a way you could consider them friends in an "I just met you but we make a great team," sort of way. So, they nodded and then Haru chimes in. "You could say that, but that not why she's here."

Marie beamed and Shigure looked more than a little confused and interested at Haru stark confession. "So, what is the reason she comes to visit my home?" This was asked with Shigure's usual lascivious smiling leer at the prospect of having a seemingly high school-ish girl in his home.

Marie laughed at his behavior he acted just as Tohru said though she shouldn't be so surprised Tohru doesn't exaggerate about these kinds of situations. So with a sweet smile she explained what she was doing in his home. "I'm Tohru's pen-pal from over seas, I came to surprise Tohru and distribute gifts to the people who have been helping her so much." She plowed ahead with a determination, worthy of Tohru all the while a slow blush was spreading over her face.

Everyone stared at her mouths open a bit wide in a little shock of the speed in which Marie spoke her confession, but finally Shigure regained the ability to speak and said. "Oookay, I am glad that you feel gratitude on Tohru-kun's behalf and all," Shigure got a wicked light in his eyes all of the sudden. "But what did you bring us?"

Marie smiled at the three people in front of her since with all the talking her comfort level had risen. "I will give you all you gifts once all of the rest of your cousins can come to receive their's as you get your's." Marie's eyes had taken on a sadistic light as she gave away the one condition to receiving the thank-you gifts.

With Shigure pouting and the others calm and cool the four went in the rest of the way into the house to see what all the racket was about. As it turned out it was just another fight between the cat and rat but you never truly know what's up with those two.

a/n: I know you guys want me to update and I'm really have been trying to get over to my Grandparent's house so I could but, I just started college so please bear with me! ;;;

Ps.tinymushroom3 I will keep in mind your request thank you!


End file.
